


The Shogun's Pet

by krillkrilla



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Boys In Love, Hate to Love, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Japanese feudalism, Love Triangles, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Unresolved Romantic Tension, kagema!kuroko, kinda OOC, samurai!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-06-09 13:10:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6908527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krillkrilla/pseuds/krillkrilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world of turmoil, where samurai fight each other in the name and honor of their bloodthirsty daimyos, a poor fisherman falls in love with a young boy. But the boy, Kuroko Tetsuya, is a kagema, or a professional male courtesan, and the ruthless shogun himself will do anything to own Kuroko as his pet, even kill. Meanwhile, Kuroko encounters a samurai from his past, and he cannot decide to whom his heart belongs. The already tumultuous land of Japan is thrown into further chaos when the emperor defies the law in order to love, and everyone must face the harsh reality of feudalism.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Boy in the Sakura Kimono

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami finds something unexpected in the forest. Aomine learns that there's a man who has the ability to completely overturn the current world of samurai. Kise runs into a man who may change his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers! This fic is based on feudal Japan, although there are some historically inaccurate facts (e.g. I got rid of the male topknots because I cannot picture any of the characters with them). The story is set in the Sengoku Period (1467-1600s), aka the Japanese Warring States Period. During this time, the shogun was the military/political dictator of Japan (the emperor being a religious/ceremonial figurehead), but his power had waned because of the rise of the daimyos, who constantly fought for the upper hand. However, in this fic the shogun is fictionally able to get all of the daimyos under his control, for obvious reasons that you'll soon see lol. 
> 
> Also for an overview of the feudal class system, the emperor and shogun were highest. Second were the daimyos, who ruled over the lands. Third were the samurai, who protected the daimyos. Fourth were the peasants, who produced food. Artisans were placed lower than peasants, since the peasants were considered more productive. Merchants were the lowest class because they supposedly "leeched off" the peasants and artisans. Outside of the tier-system were the priests/monks, who were highly respected, the social outcasts, and the courtesans, who tended to be ranked low but could be elevated based on beauty and accomplishment. 
> 
> That's it with the long ass preface; here's the first chapter!

A man, clad in only a pair of linen trousers, stretched his arms out towards the sun as he stepped onto the dock. His back muscles rippled and gleamed from the sunlight reflecting off his sweat. He untied the kerchief above his brow to wipe off some excess sweat from his face. That last trip had been quite a catch. They caught a lot more yellowtailthan usual, and he himself speared a handsome sea bass. Hauling that monster onboard was a pain in the ass though, and if Hyuuga hadn't been there to help, he might have even gone overboard. Regardless, he was back home, and he was exhausted. 

He looked over his shoulder at his partner, who was clambering off the boat, and barked, "I'm goin' for a walk!"

Hyuuga groaned and replied, "Yo at least help me get this bass home. Bringing the rest of the fish is enough of a hassle." 

He chuckled, and he ran his hand through his damp dark red hair as he jeered, "Get Aida-san and her damn cronies to help. They don't do shit anyway." 

As he strolled away from the docks, he heard Hyuuga's indignant cries of "They harvest our rice dammit!" and "Kagami have some decency!!" But he just whistled away as he walked toward the forest behind the fish market. He could use some fresh air without the salt permeating everywhere. 

 

\--

A few miles away from the humble fishing village of Seirin, a man was napping on a ceramic-tiled rooftop. His loud snores echoed throughout the vast courtyard, empty of inhabitants due to the sweltering summer heat. 

That is, except for one. A tall, light blonde man, standing in front of the main building of the compound, grimaced at the sight of his idle comrade dozing off on the roof. He shouted, "Aomine get your ass back down here!" 

A rather frail man with chestnut brown hair rushed out into the courtyard. He frantically bowed multiple times as he babbled, "I'm so sorry Wakamatsu-senpai! I was supposed to check on Aomine-san but he left right when I turned my back! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so-" 

"Oi, shut yo' trap Sakurai." A deep voice resounded from above, as the blue-haired man slowly sat up from his supine position. He crouched, and then he leapt off the roof, eliciting a shriek of terror from Sakurai. But he landed soundlessly on both feet, just like a panther. As he stood up and brushed some dirt off his hakama*, he made eye contact with the blonde, smirked, and drawled,

"Fuck off Wakamatsu."

Wakamatsu sputtered in anger, "Why you-" but as soon as he raised his fist, a hand blocked the incoming punch. Once Wakamatsu and Sakurai realized whose hand it was, they immediately retreated a few steps and bowed 90 degrees. 

"Imayoshi-dono!" 

Said man smiled at the two bowing in front of him, his eyes crinkling into crescents. Next to the lord stood his pink-haired fiancée, Momoi Satsuki. Not too far away from them, Aomine disinterestedly looked at his fingernails.

Imayoshi chuckled, "Now, now, Wakamatsu. We can't give our best samurai a black-and-blue eye, right?" Wakamatsu clenched his fists, but he did not retort; even he had to admit that Aomine was, despite being an arrogant asshole, the best samurai of Touou Castle. He never followed the rules, but Wakamatsu couldn't do anything about it, because when it came to protecting the daimyo, no one could come up to par with Aomine Daiki. 

Momoi then piped up, "Good news boys! You won't be going off to war anymore! At least not for a while."

That caught Aomine's attention. "Whaddya mean, Satsuki?" 

Wakamatsu growled at the lack of honorifics, but Imayoshi once again intervened, "It's fine Wakamatsu. You know these two knew each other since they were infants." He then turned to face Aomine, and continued, "Aomine, you and the other samurai have fought honorably to protect this castle from the other daimyo. This was because the shogun was almost useless, and the daimyos have been fighting to take over. But now, a new shogun has risen to power, and all the daimyos have settled on a truce and unanimously agreed to obey and protect him. So for now, we are at peace. That's why I haven't been sending you off lately, hence causing you to be utterly bored and nap on my roof." 

Aomine snorted, and muttered, "That must be one prissy motherfucker of a shogun, to be able to boss around the daimyos. Oh well, I'm going back to my quarters then." Sakurai then panicked, fretting about how he shouldn't be blaspheming the  **shogun**  of all people, but Aomine was already walking away, casually waving over his shoulder. 

Wakamatsu grumbled, "That son of a-" but he was yet again stopped by Imayoshi. Still smiling, he mused, "That Aomine, he just doesn't care at all. There's no way stopping him. Like it or not, he's a free spirit." 

Momoi commented, "Yeah. Daiki used to be so different. But... ever since  **he**  left..." 

For a moment, the vast courtyard was completely silent. 

 

\--

Not so far from the Touou Castle, and a little further from Seirin Village, the Kaijou Artisan District was bustling with life. Peasants, merchants, and noblemen flocked through the streets as the best craftsmen displayed their masterpieces. Amongst the cacophony of metal clinking, paper rustling, and voices shouting, the clip-clop of hooves rattled through the crowd. Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd, and everyone, be it peasant, merchant, or nobleman, prostrated themselves on the ground. Before them, men in black silk robes rode on horses. In the middle of them all strode a young man with honey golden hair and eyes, wearing a regal purple kimono. He was, simply put, gorgeous, as if he was made by the gods. And the people knew, he **was** made by the gods. 

He was Kise Ryouta, the Imperial Crown Prince of Japan. Why was someone of divinity in a humble artisan district? 

As the townspeople gazed at his back in awe, Kise continued to ride his horse down the street. He was hoping to see something fun, but so far no one seemed to entertain him. They all looked so meek and subservient... The new shogun suggested that he should go buy a few goods here. But all the paintings, the vases, the dresses, **everything** looked subpar to what he had back at the palace. That damn shogun. 

Right when Kise was about to command his men to escort him back home, he heard some noises further down to the left. Curious, the prince continued his way down to the source of the noise. He soon saw two figures in what seemed like a mere scuffle, but as he got closer, it did not look pleasant at all. 

The one standing up, a rather elderly samurai, was clearly a drunkard. He slurred and stumbled, but his ridiculous antics did not hide the sheathed katana in his hand. Cowering on the floor was a younger man, with short, spiky black hair and soiled clothes. Based on the shop behind him, it looked like the man was a samurai sword maker. Swords of all shapes and sizes adorned the blackened walls, and they glistened in comparison to the charred furnace below them. But Kise's attention did not stay long on the swords, as the drunk samurai's boisterous, unintelligible threats brought him back to the situation at hand. Now it looked like the samurai was unsheathing the sword and preparing to strike at the young man. That would explain his cowering, but not his intense steel blue eyes, peering from under his arms as sharply as the swords he crafted. 

Kise smirked. Things were finally looking interesting. 

"Guards, please apprehend that samurai. He's being disorderly and assaulting an innocent man. That isn't the way a samurai should act." Not a second after he uttered the last word, the samurai was seized by burly imperial guards, causing him to drop the sword. As they dragged him away from the scene, Kise dismounted his horse and walked up to the man, who just realized his surroundings and quickly prostrated himself too. He yelled, "I'm sorry for the disruption, Your Highness! I involved you in a dishonorable situation! You may chop off my head if you must!" 

Kise snorted at the statement, because why the hell would he behead someone for no reason, but he did pick up the sword. He scrutinized the katana, noting the intricate silver dragon inlay on the sheath and the pure white tsuka*.  When he partially unsheathed the blade, the sheer sharpness made his nerves tremble in fear and excitement. Humming in approval, he sheathed the sword again, gazed down at the man, and purred, "Look at me boy." 

The man slowly raised his chin, and when they made eye contact, Kise felt his heart skip a beat. While the man may look average compared to Kise, he had full, thick eyebrows and plump, kissable lips. And his eyes. Oh those steel blue eyes. They seemed to pierce Kise's heart like an arrow. And at that moment, Kise knew.

He had to have this man.

 

\--

Back in the forest, Kagami was slowly strolling down the path, inhaling the fresh forest air and admiring the tall trees. He loved nothing more than the sea, but the serenity of the forest was a close second. 

Suddenly, he spotted something on the floor about a hundred feet away from him. It looked like... a body. Shocked, Kagami rushed over and knelt down next to the person. He shook the person's shoulders, bellowing, "Are you okay?! Can you hear me?!" 

There was no response. Deciding to check if the person was breathing, Kagami turned the person around, only to gasp in awe. 

The person was a young boy, with a small lithe frame, a delicate round face, porcelain skin, and pale blue hair. He wore a kimono matching the shade of his hair, covered with lavender sakura blossoms. The boy looked just as pristine as his kimono, maybe more. The beauty of this boy took Kagami's breath away. 

But this wasn't the time to ogle him. Kagami quickly leaned over and held his cheek above the boy's mouth, and once he felt faint puffs of warm air against his skin, he let out a sigh of relief. He cradled the boy in his arms and stood up. Kagami ran back through the trees towards the village. He wasn't going to let this beautiful boy die. He wanted to know the boy's name. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hakama - traditional ankle-length trousers, tied at the waist and worn often by samurai  
> *tsuka - the hilt of a Japanese sword
> 
> Since this is just the beginning and more of a character introduction, it's a pretty short chapter. But as we get heavier on the romance, it'll be much much longer. The next chapter will be KiseKasa and KagaKuro-heavy! Please let me know what you thought or if you have any questions in the comments! Thanks for reading!


	2. His Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At two distant places, a prince and a fisherman learn more about the men who caught their attention. Kise makes an outlandish offer. Kagami may be falling in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was so late! Life has been super busy lately. But things are going more smoothly now, so updates should be much quicker!!

_The man slowly raised his chin, and when they made eye contact, Kise felt his heart skip a beat. While the man may look average compared to Kise, he had full, thick eyebrows and plump, kissable lips. And his eyes. Oh those steel blue eyes. They seemed to pierce Kise's heart like an arrow. And at that moment, Kise knew._

_He had to have this man._

"What is your name, boy?" 

The man's eyes widened a fraction, until a second later when he broke out of his stupor and looked back down at the ground. He replied, "Kasamatsu, Your Highness. Kasamatsu Yukio." 

"Kasamatsu Yukio..." Kise rolled the name off his tongue, deciding he liked it very much. He turned his gaze back to the katana in his hands and continued, "Well then, Kasamatsu-san, I have no clue what caused that fool to act as such to you, but I must say, your handiwork is quite exemplary. I would like to purchase it from you."

Gasping, Kasamatsu startled upward as he once again made eye contact with the prince.  _No way... theprincewants my sword. That bastard from earlier almost killed me because he didn't like it, but the **crown prince** likes it?! _He gulped, and stuttered, "Y-Y-Your Highness, do you r-really m-m-mean it?"

Kise chortled, "Haha of course Kasamatsu-san! Just name your price! The least you deserve for such an elegant blade is some payment." 

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd, but Kasamatsu bit his lip in hesitation. Kise smiled at the sight of those eyebrows furrowing in thought. _Why, he's very, what's the word... cute._ His grin widened at the thought.  _All the more reason to make him mine._

After a minute of silence, Kasamatsu finally spoke up. "Your Highness, I thank you for your graciousness, but I cannot accept payment. It is an honor for me that you find my mundane work worthy of your hand. Please, take it as a gift, Your Highness." 

Hushed whispers of "Is he crazy? He could've earned so much money!" and "How dare he refuse the crown prince!" surrounded the two men. Meanwhile, Kise pouted; he really did want to pay the man.  _He could buy himself some nicer clothing... That face of his should not belong to a mere commoner. He's cuter than any of those palace geishas!_

Suddenly, Kise grinned like a madman. He had an idea.

"Very well, Kasamatsu-san, I will take the sword, but realize that I do not like the idea of taking things without compensation. If you won't take my money, then at the very least," Kise giggled at the thought of his next words, "you can have me!" 

The crowd and Kasamatsu collectively gasped. The swordsmith's gaze flitted around at anywhere but the prince as he spluttered, "What, what do you mean, Your Highness?! I don't understa-" 

"Kasamatsu-san, you're a gifted swordsmith, and you also, how should I phrase it, appease my eyes? No need to waste your talents and looks in a place like this. Come to the palace with me, and you'll have a luxurious life! You can be the Imperial Swordsmith, and also," Kise licked his lips, "warm my bed at night." 

By this time, the crowd was in an uproar. Kasamatsu blushed furiously, hands tightly gripping his hemp trousers.  _What should I do? This is an amazing opportunity, and I can finally earn enough for my family! But warm his bed?! I can't do that, I don't even like men! But I shouldn't disobey the prince. Oh fuck what do I do..._

Letting go of his trousers, he stood up, his head still facing the ground. He exhaled deeply, and stammered, "I'm-I'm sorry, Y-Your Highness, but... but I will have to refuse. I cannot leave my family behind, and I don't believe I can force myself to lay with a man. I apologize for disobeying you, and you may punish me however you'd like." With that, Kasamatsu bowed down low, and the crowd held their breath in unison, waiting to see the prince's reaction. 

Surprisingly, Kise threw his head back and roared in laughter. Confused, Kasamatsu peeked up at the prince, who was in hysterics. After a good minute or two, the prince took a few deep breaths before wheezing out, "You're a spunky one, aren't you? You most definitely entertain me."

He then walked up closer to Kasamatsu, and reached his hand out to lift Kasamatsu's chin until he was standing straight and directly looking into Kise's eye. Kise stroked Kasamatsu's cheek, causing the swordsmith to shiver at the prince's gentle touch. His cheeks turned into a bright red hue, and Kise smirked. He leaned into Kasamatsu's ear, and whispered in his most seductive tone possible, 

"You sure about not wanting to lay with a man? I will teach you how to yearn for my touch,  **Yukiocchi~** " Kise then tore away from the swordsmith, and he stuck the katana into his obi. He then turned away and walked toward his horse. Kasamatsu blankly stared at the spot Kise once stood, not believing what had just happened. 

Once Kise had mounted his horse and signaled to his men to return to the palace, he looked back at the still shocked swordsmith. He loudly called out, "I'll be back in a week, so take that time to reconsider! Thank you for the sword, Kasamatsu Yukio, and I look forward to seeing you again!" The crown prince and his men then rode their horses down the street and away from the shops.

Once the prince was out of hearing distance, the townspeople started yelling at each other, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Kasamatsu ignored the shouts and slinked back into his sword shop, crouching behind the furnace and burying his head into his lap. His life may have been saved, but it might just have turned for the worse. 

 

\--

Work was especially difficult for Kagami Taiga. The cause of his fatigue was not the sweltering heat, not the sheer weight of the fish, **clearly** not the lack of sleep due to the image of the boy, laying lifelessly on the forest ground, haunting him every time he closed his eyes. No, most definitely not the lack of sleep. 

Kagami vividly remembered the events of the previous night. When he barged into the Aida family house, Riko started to chastise him for his rude entrance, while Hyuuga grumbled about his sore muscles from carrying the fish alone. But as soon as they saw the unconscious body in his arms, all hell broke loose. As Riko started to check for any internal damage, Hyuuga demanded to hear every detail of what happened (and boy was he **insistent** ). Once Hyuuga ran to the village leader Kiyoshi's house to recount the situation, Riko sent (read: body-slammed) Kagami out of the house to fetch the necessary herbs from Izuki's fields. Unfortunately, being the blockhead of the village, Kagami brought back all the wrong herbs, hence getting a high-pitched earful from Riko and being sent back, this time with a list of more names than he could count fish.

On the way back to Izuki's, he ran into Koganei, who asked what had happened. His vague, rushed response was apparently still more than enough for Koganei to freak out and spread the message to every other damn villager. By the time he finally got back, this time with Izuki in hand, Koganei and the other young farmers had already squeezed themselves into the small room Aida and the boy were in. Dealing with the intolerable heat emanating from too much body heat during the dog days of summer, Riko scolding him for not bringing enough, and Hyuuga **still** badgering him with questions, proved to be too much, and Kagami finally snapped. It took Kiyoshi's warm yet stern hand, tightly gripping his shoulder, to remind him that punching in Fukuda's face would not help matters, and that Furihata was sobbing out of pure terror. 

Finally, after bearing with the babbling (useless) farmers for another half hour, Kagami was left alone to watch over this boy in peace. Before leaving, Aida cheerfully chirped that since the boy had only passed out from physical fatigue, he'll wake up soon enough. Once the sound of her footsteps faded away, Kagami closed his eyes and sighed in relief, thankful for the much needed silence and serenity. As he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze traveled along the slight curves of the boy's hips, the flat planes of his torso, the milky smoothness of his neck, the baby blue hair framing his face, and the small puffs of air escaping those peach lips. Perhaps it was because of the feverish rosy cheeks contrasting with the pale skin, but the boy looked like a fragile porcelain doll. 

Kagami was so lost in his ogling that he didn't notice the boy's hand twitch. He did notice, however, when the boy's eyelids started to flutter lightly, just like a butterfly's gentle wings. He held his breath as the boy finally started to stir from his long slumber.

Four seconds later, the boy opened his eyes. 

Suddenly, the boy turned his head to his side to face Kagami straight on, and Kagami couldn't hide his gasp. At first glance, the boy's eyes seemed to have the same baby blue hue as his hair, but they were actually a little darker, more like an azure lake. And what a seemingly calm yet dangerous lake. Kagami felt like he was sinking in that lake, with no way of escape. 

Then the boy spoke. It was nothing more than a croaked whisper, his voice cracking from dehydration. "Where am I?" 

Kagami blinked, and shook his head rigorously once he processed the question.  _Bakagami, get your shit together. He's awake dammit, AWAKE._ "You're in Seirin Village. I found you unconscious in the nearby forest, so I brought you here to get treated by Riko. She said you just fainted from dehydration and fatigue, so as long as you rest up a little longer you should be fine." 

The boy nodded in understanding, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "You saved me?" 

Kagami scratched his head in embarrassment and replied, "Well, yeah I couldn't just **leave** you there. You collapsed." 

Then the corner of the boy's mouth ever so slightly curled upward. It was almost unnoticeable, but it was definitely a smile, and a cute one too. Kagami's face was not turning pink at the sight. Not at all. 

"Thank you sir. I'm indebted to you for saving my life." 

Kagami suddenly found his toes very interesting. He mumbled, "It's nothing really." 

"But sir-" 

Kagami looked up, and as soon as he did so he almost regretted it. He didn't think that the boy's eyes could get any rounder, until now. He groaned, "I'm no sir, really. Just call me Kagami." 

The smile reappeared. Now Kagami burned up like a tomato. But before he could look away again, the boy spoke:

"Thank you Kagami-san. My name is Kuroko." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out to be a shorter chapter than expected, but oh well! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments~
> 
> The next chapter will focus on KagaKuro's growing romance. Most likely no major appearances from the other main characters, but you'll get plenty of them in the future!


End file.
